The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-04-14
A River Story.

A River Story.
was fain to supplement my income
pending the time when my learning, elo-
Quence, and acute instructive grasp Of
dificult cases in all their bearings should
have brought host Of clients to my feet
with such literary work ss could OBJ
tain.
Having an uncle an editor and two col.
lege friends successful journalists, my ef-
forts were not doomed to that disappoint.
ment which awaits the vast majority Of
young men and women who are tempted
by some early magazine acceptance to
engage in that great, never-ending COM
petitive examination, comprised in the
endeavor to earn living out of periodi-
cal literature, and got as much occupa-
tion for my pen as could perform with
out neglecting my legal studies and pros
poets. Among other pickings I received
guinea . week for an article in the
Bank Rsoiss0. Ostensibly It was the re-
view Of book, but in reality the said
book was the excuse or text for an essay
which was intended to be witty, but was
too often, I fear, merely dippant.
~ do not care for dull account of the
book you review; all want is paper"
said the editor. And I did my best.
One Of my most facetious papers, re.
member, was written apropos Of little
volume of poems issued in the orthodox
green cover, and entitled Echoes of the
Heart" by "Dcra." I did not take the
trouble to read them, but just dipped in
here and there, without even cutting the
leaves, to get points for funny "copy." I
found one couplet, for example, in which
girl was made to rhyme with cur, where
upon ! spelt girl gurl throughout the ar
ticle. I called "Dora" gurl, drew an
imaginary picture of her as gushing
young thing of fifty, with spectacles and
an ink.stained thumb, and suggested that
her proper occupation was the artistic
cooking of sleeps heart rather than
writing nonsense about the echoes of her
own. inquired how heart can have
an echo, and insinuated that the gurl of
the echoing heart must be ventriloquist !;
with great deal more flippant stuff of
the same kind, winding up with an af-
fectedly serious diatribe against poetast-
ers Of both sexes, and the publishers who
print their effusions-a disgraceful article
which was exactly to the taste of the MI
admirari class, from which the readers of
the Blank Reoiep were principally re-
cruited.
It was during this early period of my
career, and at the season when New York
is dullest, that I met my old college
friend Sinclair in Broadway and natur-
ally asked what brought him to town in
the autumn.
II have been ordering dog cart" he
replied; "but why are not you out for q
holidsy"
4 i have nowhere particular to 60 to
and no one to go with me. As has been
often said, New York when empty has
more people in It than any other place
has when full" said I. Besides, If wen,
out, l should be paying for my empty
chambers all the time, as well as for my
temporary lodgings"
"Ay, ay; but still, breath of country
air does man . world of good. And
you can afford It; you have made start
and ! expect the two ends meet, eh?"
Yes; but am waiting till they over
lap before / indulge in luxuries."
Look here" said Sinclair, after 3
pause, II wish you would come bacl
with me to Aitcham this evening""
"You live at Aitcham now?"
"Yes, have taken furnished house
there till the end Of September. Rather
. pretty place on the banks of the Hud
son; lawn sloping to the edge of tht
river; perch and pike, they say-I have
never caught any; boat-house, and al
that. My wife took fancy to the place
and II 10 just the same to me as any othel
until the hunting begins"
'.Is It far 2"
"Oh, NO, only an hours ride. It Il
not any compliment to ask you, own
for We are monstrous dull But you have
Y - good - owned that you have nothing
% Keep you in New York, and It woule
- very good-natured II you would COM
I'D take an oar"
!, fake an oarf"
& Yes; am rather tired Of scullinl
1hoee two about every afternoon by my
sq6. 6ome Of the girls in the neighbor
hood have taken to rowing themselves
8 aad letting their husbands, brothers, &c.
sfeeg, hut my women-folk don't seem to
~ ~
eYou speak in the plural"
Yee; my wife, you know, must have
a1le one 70 speak to-,
<sGhe has you -"
Poahl Il Il easy TO see that you have
- e1peElence. Why, we have been mar
~ Ibasly two yearsi ! can't talk 81
( (sf1 r1ou1, and my wife can't talk 81
q un1lug. Ghe wants another woman u
>1G a, and 70 Niss Filmer is SlAyina
! y - Ard ! want man TO talk 70
~ viii y ~, won't youf Thers
~ Ettlo Boo0 opening ont tnte
-, vhpre you shal! Do Any
~ H!leing loa van& pn4AsesJoed